Advice for Physics Majors - Great Issues Courses

*** Courses which have been taken to meet the Great Issues requirement may not also be used to meet a student’s Culture/Diversity or General Education requirement

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BIOL 312 Great Issues in Genomics and Society

The course will revolve around genomics, the science and technology involved in determining the sequence of the entire DNA complement in an organism.  Almost everyone has heard of the human genome project, but fewer are aware of the spectacular technical progress in this field and the fact that over 1,000 different organisms have had their genome sequenced.  Until recently, most of these have been microorganisms, but technological and computational progress has made it progressively easier and cheaper to sequence the genomes of higher organisms.  This field may have more of an impact on your future lives than almost any other field of the life sciences-mostly because it touches on all areas of study. The course will focus on the impact that genomics will have in selected areas.  It will begin with a basic understanding of the science and technology that gave rise to our current capabilities in sequencing and the fact that technology continues to provide greater capacity and cheaper prices.  You will soon see that every field in the College of Science is well represented in the science and technology. We will then go on to see how genomics influences many topics that affect our daily lives and can possibly provide answers to some critical questions (or at least pose better questions): What is the basis of personalized medicine? What does genomics tell us about the genealogy of mankind? What impact will genomics have on our future food supply and our ability to feed a population of 9 Billion people? What is the human microbiome and what does that mean to me? Similarly, what is the gut microbiome, the mouth microbiome, etc? What impact will genomics have on the development of alternative energy sources, especially biofuels? In every area, we will discuss the scientific challenges, but also the ethical and societal implications.  In most cases, there is no one right answer, but a series of choices that can be guided by ethical considerations.

BIOL 395 The COVID-19 Pandemic

The course will cover the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2.  It will provide a window onto the intersection of science and society and the challenges created when leaders and the populace are inadequately informed.  We will explore the biology of the virus and the disease caused by it.  The primary literature will be reviewed with the aim of critically evaluating data and understanding the basis of inferences or lack thereof.  Vaccine and antiviral approaches will be discussed.  Historical approaches to pandemics, comparative analyses of responses by countries and states, investigations into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, and various conspiracy theories will be topics of deliberation.  We will see how achieving scientific understanding is a dynamic process.  The COVID-19 scientific literature will be dissected with a focus on publication ethics

BIOL 483 Great Issues: Environmental and Conservation Biology Concerned with the application of ecological principles to environmental issues, the course introduces fundamental ecology, emphasizing the interplay of theoretical models, natural history, and experimentation. New research developments are stressed, with the outlook for application to environmental management and restoration. Whole-biosphere issues, such as the loss of biological diversity, frame a focus at the population level to understand local and global extinction and community stability. In-depth case studies of endangered ecosystems (both temperate and tropical), with computer modeling, field trips, and discussions of policy formulation, demonstrate the range of tools and information necessary to accomplish coexistence of humans with the rest of nature

BIOL 495 Energy Transduction in Society

Application of Basic Concepts in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Centered on Mechanisms of Biological Energy Transduction, to Problems in Medicine, Agriculture, and Society.
This course is intended for students in biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering to obtain insight into interdisciplinary collaborative approaches by biologists, physicists, and physicians who are concerned with improved understanding and the solution of major problems in medicine, and problems and solutions associated with the changing solar environment of the Earth. The subjects of cellular energy and energy transduction will be a paradigm, starting with discussion of the salient features of the energy-transduction centered in transport complexes of biological cellular membrane. The course will progress to case studies where students will apply this knowledge to problems involving mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer and neuropathology, the crossroads of mitochondrial metabolism and the biology of aging, mechanisms of virus infection and influenza virus translocation. The chloroplast will be the second cellular organelle whose structure and function are discussed, the latter in the context of the principles of photosynthetic solar energy conversion and the problems of global warming and agricultural productivity. Through the exploration of these subjects, the course in general will discuss a range of issues important not just for an understanding of the science, but also in the context of societal problems which include infectious disease, global warming, agricultural productivity, and radiation exposure in possible space travel. The broad goal of the course is to develop skills in thinking critically beyond one’s primary discipline, considering problems of ethics and the consequences to individuals and society in the utilization and application of modern medicine and technology.

Since the millennium began, the pharmaceutical industry has been stressed by (1) the rise of a global generics industry in response to patent expiries, (2) the complex biology of unmet medical needs, (3) economic challenges with respect to both revenue and cost, and (4) a tougher regulatory climate. The nature of this dilemma will be explored through historical advances in chemistry and clinical research in parallel with the development of the global regulatory environment for clinical trials and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The challenges of drug development that relate the availability of therapies to patients to cost, safety, efficacy, and the relative funding of R/D by government, foundations and industry will be described. Safe, effective and economic; pick two. It is expected that aspirants for careers in medicine or medical research will benefit from understanding the many ambiguities that define this topic. On completion of the course students will have had exposure to the history of pharmacology, life science ethics, regulatory challenges nationally and globally, and the expectations of investors from government, foundations and private sources.

CHM 49000 History & Philosophy of Science
CHM 490 was created to provide juniors and seniors in the College of Science with a course that focuses on the synergies among the physical and life sciences, the humanities, the social sciences, and education. CHEM 490 is neither a prerequisite for later courses nor a review of basic principles of science and mathematics out of a textbook. It was prepared for inclusion among the College of Science “Great Issues in Science” courses that address the impact of science on society and the ramifications of scientific advances because it tries to look at science from the perspective of work in the humanities (e.g., history and philosophy), the social sciences (with particular emphasis on cognitive science), and education (with a focus on what is known about the teaching and learning of science). 

CHM 49000 Science and Social Progress (Study Abroad in Colombia)

Science and Social Progress is a new study-abroad course that will be offered in May of 2019 (CHM 49000, 3 credits). In this course, you will have the opportunity to learn about the role of science in social progress through in-depth discussions with faculty and students from Purdue and from Los Andes, our partner University in Colombia. You will also have the opportunity to visit Bogotá and Villa de Leyva, learn and practice basic Spanish, interact with Colombian students, and discover Colombian culture and cuisine. The first week of the course (May 6 - 11) will be at Purdue and the next two weeks will be in Colombia (Bogotá and Villa de Leyva).  Undergraduate students who have taken general chemistry, physics, or calculus are eligible to apply. This course will meet the College of Science Culture requirement or the Great Issues credit requirement for eligible students.  For more information, please check:  https://purduedft.com/colombia/

CHM 49000 The Nuclear Age: Its science, history and ethics

The nuclear age is nearly 75 years old. However, a 20 year old college student has grown up with likely no living family connection to the WWII generation, has no experience with the cold war, and was only 13 when the last major crisis of the nuclear age (Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident) occurred. Consequently, many college students have little to no understanding of nuclear weapons or nuclear power. The learning objectives of this course are intended to introduce to students the science, history, and geopolitics of the Nuclear Age and to enable them to think critically of the ethics surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear power.

CS 39000 Great Issues in Computer Science

This course provides an overview of current and essential professional and ethical issues in computing and their impact on society. Topics specialize in the impact of computing, including algorithmic bias, motives behind design decisions, ethics of data, privacy and security, and legal issues. The goal of this course is to equip students with the framework and context necessary to critically think about the impact of computing. Discussions and readings will include current events. The primary focus of the coursework will be two large projects consisting of a case study and research paper.

EAPS 30100 Oil!

Petroleum is a common thread that interweaves Geoscience with the Political-Economic history of the 20th century. Its dominance in current society has major repercussions on our current and future society and environment. The unequal distribution of petroleum and natural gas, coupled with innovative geologists and engineers, has set the stage for the modern geo-political world. This course is a unique survey into the multitude of aspects of petroleum -- from its formation to "resource wars".

EAPS 32700 Climate Science and Society

This course will examine the broad problems of climate change by examining the relationship between science, politics, and society by using climate change as a lens through which to examine larger issues. Students will be encouraged to identify similar themes in their own experiences as emerging scientists, engineers and global leaders. Adequate preparation to write essays and perform basic arithmetic calculations needed. Prior knowledge of climate change science is not necessary.

EAPS 36000 Great Issues in Science and Society

The focus of the course is on the integration of different perspectives and the need for interdisciplinary approaches to solve the challenges facing students' local, national, and global communities. The course format is discussion intensive, team-oriented ,and stresses the need to continually ingest and integrate new information, as the technologies and social proposed action that can contribute to the solution of a Great issue.

EAPS 36400 Natural Hazards: Sci & Society

This course will investigate the role of data and science in policy and decision making as it relates to natural hazard resiliency. We will cover three types of natural disasters: hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes/severe storms. The scientific fundamentals of each of these hazards will be introduced first followed by an exploration of how available data, various policies, programs, and real-time decisions can impact a community's response and recovery from disasters. This course is not designed to arrive at particular consensus solutions to the specific case studies that we will cover; rather, the goal of this course is to explore the linked complexities between the science of the threat and the political and social response. The format will include guest speakers who give accounts of their role in specific disasters and in framing the policies and decisions made in the aftermath of the natural hazards.

EAPS 37500 Fossil Fuels, Energy and Society

Prosperity of the 20th century was based on abundant and cheap energy; during the 21st century we will be faced with difficult challenges. Our society will face higher energy prices, decline of petroleum based fuels supplies, increased environmental effects of fossil fuels usage, and the challenge of solving the technological problems of developing alternative fuels. This course will review the structure, economics, and geopolitical issues faced by fossil fuel industries and the mitigation strategies that will be needed to change to low fossil fuel use society based on low polluting renewable energy sources.

PHYS 490 Data Science: Good vs Bad (UCAP approved Fall 2020, Advising Updated 9/3/2020)

HIST 30700 History of AI: Minds and Machines will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors (temporary approval for Fall 2023)

This course examines the long history of efforts in automating human cognition. Historically, the attempts to automate human cognitive functions – from the mere reckoning of numbers to complex decision-making have been entangled with heated debates about what counts as good, proper, and desirable thinking; whose thinking machines should emulate; and whether the thinking of some humans is inferior to that of machines. In this course, we will examine how the invention of calculating machines – analogue and then digital – has developed in tandem with philosophical and scientific theories of human thinking and intelligence. In their turn, the latter developed as a response to changing social, political, and economic currents.
The course is divided into four modules. We will begin with seventeenth-century calculating machines, Enlightenment projects of automating logarithmic calculations, and the nineteenth century’s first mechanical computers. In the first module, we will be paying special attention to how the Enlightenment theories of knowledge and the changing socio-economic landscape of the era of industrialization helped scientists and engineers imagine human cognition as something that could be described in discrete sequential steps and modeled with number reckoning machines. The remaining three modules will focus on the twentieth century. In them, we will explore how the growth of state bureaucracies, the formation of the discipline of psychology, new developments in twentieth-century engineering, and theories of human rational thinking have strengthened the assumption that computers could be treated as models of human minds and that computer systems could fully replace human minds. In these modules, we will consider first digital computers, information theory, cybernetics, artificial intelligence, and expert systems programs, and machine learning.

HIST 31305 Medical Devices & Innovation will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

How to maintain health has been a priority for human welfare, and increasingly an undergirding element of most grand challenges (clean air and water, a cure for cancer, etc.). However, the practices, knowledge, and cultural understandings about how to address such health concerns vary over time. This course examines histories of human health in the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries, and its relationship to basic science, discoveries about the human body, and the innovation of diagnostic tools and creation of medical devices for treatment.  Understanding the history of scientific discovery, as well as the cultural context of that discovery, provide examples of how scientists had to think flexibly and creatively. The class also uncovers problems of scientific application when culture is ignored, and the deleterious consequences that can result. By understanding how scientists of the past sought to solve grand challenges such as debilitating bacterial infections or polio, or developed non-invasive modes of diagnosis such as the MRI, students can learn from others’ mistakes and successes, and incorporate these lessons into the function of their scientific practices.

HIST 32505 Death, Disease and Medicine in Twentieth Century American History will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

This course examines the history of disease, dying, and medicine in United States in the 20th century.  This is the same course that was originally listed as HONR 29900 which is already on the approved Great Issues course list.

HONR 29900 Food Security will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

This course examines the complex issue of human food security in different global and local contexts. Lectures by Prof. Ejeta (prize). LO: Provide a broad overview of where food comes from and the emerging challenges that threaten our food system. Develop an enhanced understanding of the social, economical and political issues that result in food insecurity in a household and the broader community. Develop and understanding of the science, technology, innovation and policy essentials that guide the global food and agricultural system that feeds the world. Develop knowledge and respect for the abundant natural resources, as well as the global policy and governance needed for their management for feeding humanity sustainably. Develop an understanding of the evolving issue of food insecurity on college campuses and the various policies and programs that exists to provide food relief. Develop new knowledge about issues of campus food insecurity on the Purdue WL campus through research.

HONR 39900 Holocene will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

The Holocene is the geologic epoch of the last 11,700 years. It is a period of stable and warm climate that has witnessed the growth of human civilizations worldwide – all written history, cities and urban life, complex technologies, and states and empires have arisen exclusively during this period. Why? The favorable environmental conditions of the Holocene have allowed us to transform the environment and exploit its resources to an extreme degree, principally through production practices based in agriculture. In this course, we will explore this relationship between climate, environment, and the development of human societies throughout the geologic epoch of the Holocene. A principle focus will be the critical role that agriculture has played in the development of our species and in accelerating our impacts on Earth’s ecosystems. In addition to surveying this deep history, students will engage in new knowledge creation about the Holocene through ethnographic research and writing. Together as a class, we will address the current debate about the Holocene’s end – the idea that humanity’s abilities to transform the environment have become so significant and so extreme that they are driving the Earth system into a new epoch. In particular, students will observe and consider agriculture’s ongoing evolution and impacts on the environment and its role in broader systems of anthropogenic change.

HONR 39900 Human Redesign will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

What does it mean to be human? What place do humans occupy in the grand scheme of things? Are all humans equal? Consider for a moment that in 1800, the answers to these question differed greatly from what people generally believe today. This was a time before psychology, neurology, and sociology were established disciplines; it was a time of quack theories, mad science, and the birth of science fiction. By exploring key discoveries and great literary works, students will discover how science and the arts collaborated in a radical redesign of the human subject across the nineteenth century. For instance, students will explore how R.L Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde drew from cutting-edge psychological research, and how Charles Darwin incorporated nineteenth-century narrative tricks into On the Origin of Species to make his theory more palatable. The class is strongly discussion based, and students will participate in exciting projects geared around their individual interests, including the invention of their own quack theory and the creation of a short horror story based on cutting-edge scientific research, after the model of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

HONR 39900 Spacetime! will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

This course will boldly go where no course has gone before, providing students the chance to explore strange new ideas about space and time. Want to write a sequel to Interstellar or your own episode of Star Trek? Want to see how our idea of spacetime has evolved in response to religion, philosophy, and physics? Want to hear Purdue scientists talk about science fiction that matters to them? To study spacetime requires that we engage a variety of perspectives from the past and present. In that sense, HONR 399: Spacetime! is deeply historical and philosophical in its approach. The course also takes an active interest in creative processes behind scientific thought. To that end, students will explore how arts and symbolic thought have played significant roles in scientific discoveries, including Einstein’s. Students will also practice creative modes of inquiry firsthand, as course projects will be based in creative writing practices. [Note: projects will be assessed on critical and creative thinking, not artistic quality.]

HONR 39900 Rise & Fall Of the American Empire will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

The major hot-button topics related to this course are taught in various departments and colleges throughout the university. Rarely, however, do we consider them together. As a result, engineers may develop a deep understanding of the oil industry  without grasping the importance of global warming, and environmental scientists might study global warming without understanding the oil or coal industries. Likewise, agriculture students might discuss bio-fuels without understanding the  economics of their implementation. Economists might recognize the impact of Chinese manufacturing on the global economy  without recognizing its impact on the environment. This course, rather ambitiously, attempts to join the dots. Another important goal of the course is to look at how the various global challenges will play out in different parts of the world.
Overpopulation, for example, is a global problem, and yet the populations of most of the developed world are rather stable; the  populations of Japan and Germany are shrinking. The political will to implement fuel efficiency standards and sources of  renewable energy is strong in Europe, growing in the USA, and yet virtually non existent in China and India. Global warming is likely to be disastrous in flood-prone Bangladesh, but may improve farming conditions in Canada.
We will take a trip through history, analyzing the relationships between human societies and their environment. We will discuss the emergence of farming and the early evolution of societies, and study the role of environmental exploitation in the demise of various civilizations. We will discuss the history of fossil fuels, the ways in which they have transformed the world, and the geopolitics of fossil fuel acquisition. Looking at the modern world, we will investigate the full range of growing global problems  related to population, fossil fuel depletion, global warming, and food production. We will also analyze potential remedies, such as renewable energy (and nuclear energy). Importantly, we will discuss all these topics in the context of political and economic constraints. Perhaps the really important questions are not whether we can “save the world”, but rather whether we will...

HONR 39900 The Nuclear Age: Its science, history and ethics will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

The nuclear age is nearly 75 years old. However, a 20 year old college student has grown up with likely no living family connection to the WWII generation, has no experience with the cold war, and was only 13 when the last major crisis of the nuclear age (Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident) occurred. Consequently, many college students have little to no understanding of nuclear weapons or nuclear power. The learning objectives of this HONR course are intended to introduce to students the science, history, and geopolitics of the Nuclear Age and to enable them to think critically of the ethics surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear power.

MA 27900 Modern Mathematics in Science And Society will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

Credit Hours: 3.00. The course covers topics in combinatorics and probability applied to real life situations such as the paradoxa of democracy, weighted voting, fair division, apportionment, traveling salesmen, the mathematics of networks, Fibonacci numbers, golden ratio, growth patterns in nature, mathematics of money, symmetry, fractals, censuses and surveys, random sampling, sample spaces, permutations and uniform probability spaces.

Note: It has a pre-requisite of Calculus I, but I would warn students that it more geared for student in a mathematics area.   It most likely will not be offered again until Spring 2020. 

ME 49200 Technlogy and Values

The impact of science and technology on personal and societal value systems. The special responsibility of engineers. Practical methods for using human values to guide future technological developments. Societal problems considered: warfare, energy, overpopulation, resource depletion, and environmental degradation. Interdisciplinary approaches stressed

POL 32700 Global Green Politics will not meet SCI/ENGR 300+ requirement for phys majors

Analysis and assessment of the nature of global environmentalism, its connections with other new social movements, and its impact on domestic and international politics worldwide, with particular attention to green political parties and nongovernmental organizations